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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. cold — not warm
  4. scale — in music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cue — a signal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stock — shares
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. board — to get on
  14. stock — goods
  15. board — a committee
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cue — for pool
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com